


How To Wingman: A Guide By Barry Allen

by MusicalMoritz



Category: Batman - Fandom, DC Comics, The Justice League - Fandom
Genre: Friendship, High School AU, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, NO CAPES, Relationship Advice, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Teasing, barry is a chemistry teacher, bruce is a pta dad, clark is the principal, dick is a cheerleader, hal is a bad influence, i just tagged it to be safe, mentions of sexual situations, minor halbarry but coldflash is also implied, minor sex jokes, ngl writing this lowkey made me ship batflash, there’s not rly that many sex jokes in here tbh, this is literally just barry shipping superbat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:35:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26966803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicalMoritz/pseuds/MusicalMoritz
Summary: Bruce Wayne is a PTA dad who obviously has feelings for Clark Kent, the principal. The only people who don’t seem to know this are Bruce and Clark themselves. Barry decides to help Bruce out with this.Set in a high school au
Relationships: Barry Allen/Bruce Wayne(friendship), Barry Allen/Iris West(implied), Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Wally West(Background), Hal Jordan/Barry Allen(background)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 191





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just Barry giving some relationship advice to Bruce, much to Bruce’s dismay. I feel like I made them a little OOC in this but I think it fit for the AU.  
> Hope you all enjoy!💕

“You and Clark need to bang,” the words come out of Barry’s mouth for perhaps the millionth time this week. 

Bruce side-eyed him, already tired of this conversation. “I don’t know what you mean.” 

“Bruce,” said the chemistry teacher. “I think everyone in this entire school knows what I mean. The tension between you two is so thick you could cut it with a knife.” 

Bruce looked around the empty Teacher’s Lounge, hoping no one else was around to hear this. He wasn’t exactly a shy man, but he couldn’t quite fathom the embarrassment he would face if someone like Hal or Oliver were to walk in. 

But, then again, if Bruce has heard this same conversation a hundred times, Hal has probably heard it a thousand times. 

“When does your lunch break end again…?” 

Barry groaned. “I’m serious. You two have been hate-flirting since the day you met.” 

“My son was in the principal’s office, Barry,” Bruce sneered. “It wasn’t exactly a pleasant meeting.” 

Barry wasn’t buying it. 

Clark Kent had been the principal of the Justice League Academy for about 12 years now, and Bruce’s oldest child had been there for four years. As the head of the PTA and six more children in the school system, Bruce figured he and Mr. Kent would be seeing a lot more of each other than either would like.

Except, apparently, not more than Barry would like. 

At first he’d thought the name was a bit pretentious for a public school, but they were one of the highest ranking high schools in the county. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

That’s what he had thought, until he met Clark Kent. The kind, tall, good-natured man who was nothing but pretentious. The guy who liked to remind them at every meeting that the school stood for “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.” 

Bruce had hated him on sight.

He got called into the office one day when his second child, Jason, had gotten into a fight with some kids at lunch. Clark had been there waiting patiently, looking just as ridiculous as he had at registration. 

Bruce had tried to defend Jason, insisting that he did it in self defense. When he found out that Jason had not, in fact, done it in self defense, he wasn’t quite sure where to go from there.

“Then why’d you do it?” Bruce had asked.

“The guy was being annoying,” Jason shrugged.

Needless to say, Jason got suspended. 

Bruce signed up for PTA the next day, deciding that it was high time he got more involved in his children’s lives. By the end of the year, he ran for president and quickly became a force to be reckoned with within the school. 

His kids had been in and out of the principals office since then, but he had always been there to bail them out when they needed him. As for Clark, well…

The two of them didn’t exactly see eye to eye on things. This had led to a number of unpleasant encounters throughout the years-like when Clark wanted to cut choir, or when Bruce had insisted that they didn’t need cheerleaders at track-although, this was more so due to Dick getting a little friendly with the head of the team, Barry’s nephew Wally. But, then again, Dick tended to get a little friendly with a lot of people, much to Bruce’s dismay. 

Clark had seen right through the ruse and abruptly refused Bruce’s request; just as Bruce had insisted that choir needed to be kept(one of the students, Hartley Rathaway, had shown up to that meeting to defend choir and privately told Bruce afterwards that he owed him his life). No matter what one of them proposed, the other always seemed to be able to shut it down. It was a constant game of musical chairs, the two of them rushing towards new opportunities to destroy the other.

But Bruce would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy this little game of cat and mouse. It made life more interesting, and helped him feel like he was actually fighting for something here. He occasionally looked forward to his little run-ins with Clark, as much as he hated the guy’s guts. 

“C’mon,” Barry said, bringing Bruce out of his thoughts. “Don’t pretend you don’t like him even a little bit.” 

“I don’t,” Bruce lied. “He’s too pretentious.” 

“Well, yeah,” said the blond. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t still like him. I mean, he is hot.” 

Bruce blinked. Where was all this coming from? What happened to the sweet, innocent, blushy, polite chemistry teacher who told bad puns? What was Hal doing to this man?

“I don’t believe this kind of talk is approved by the school board.” 

“Oh my gosh,” Barry laughed. “You two are perfect for each other.” 

Bruce scowled, looking away. He was getting close to wringing Barry’s neck if he didn’t stop talking-a feeling he was getting used to nowadays. 

“When was the last time you dated, anyways? What happened to you and Selina?”

He winced, thinking of his on-again-off-again fling with the art teacher. He supposed work relationships never worked out anyways, which is why him and Clark was a bad idea. 

“Are you sure you’re the right person to be asking me about this?” Bruce pried. “Isn’t Hal the first boyfriend you’ve ever had?”

Barry’s face went red and he straightened his posture a bit. “What? I-no, I’ve, um…I’ve been on plenty of dates before!”

“There was that Iris girl you went out with twice,” Bruce recalled. “And the school’s hockey coach-what’s his name again? Luke? Landon? Lorenzo? L-“

“Leonard,” Barry snapped. “His name is Leonard. We were flirting for awhile but it didn’t go anywhere. I guess…”

“You just weren’t doing it for him?” Bruce smirked.

Barry jumped out of his seat, palm slamming down against the table. “That is none of your business!” 

“But Clark and I are your business?” Bruce mused, sipping his coffee. 

“I-“ Barry paused, unsure of how to respond to that. “I suppose you’re right. But you really should consider it, I think you two would make a really cute couple.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Bruce hummed. 

The two of them sat in silence, not knowing what to say. 

Bruce supposed his time spent with Clark wasn’t all that bad. Like he said, there were times when he actually enjoyed their playful rivalry. 

Could Barry possibly be onto something here?

No no no no no no no no no, absolutely not. Bruce would have to be an idiot to listen to Barry Allen of all people on relationship advice. This man is about as inexperienced with love as it gets-he can barely handle his own love life, let alone Bruce’s. He doesn’t know Bruce’s mind, Bruce’s feelings. He couldn’t possibly be right, could he?

He’s right.

Bruce feels the urge to face palm as the realization hits him. Perhaps he had enjoyed his time spent with Clark-perhaps he’d enjoyed it a little too much. Occasionally, he had found himself wondering what it might be to know Clark on a more personal level, if he would still hold the Typical American Dream Dad demeanor he held at work. What would it be like to get to know the real Clark Kent?

Does Bruce even want to find out?

He groans, audibly, and Barry claps.

“I knew it!” He cheers.

“Shut up,” Bruce grumbles. 

“So when are you gonna talk to him?” Barry prompts. 

“Soon,” Bruce promises. “Just-I need some time to process all of this.”

“Take all the time you need,” Barry grins. “But I want the full story when you finally ask him out.” 

“Doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice.”

“You don’t.” 

Bruce could figure out how to explain all this to his kids later-right now, he had to figure out what to say to Clark. Would Clark even like him back? What if this made things even more awkward at work?

He internally cringes as he realizes he sounded like Dick when he went on his first date with Wally. How could he even face Clark like this? 

“Barry?” He asks, cautiously. “Would you mind telling me how…umm…how you and Hal…”

“Oh,” Barry said, sounding surprised but delighted. “Well, he was actually the one who asked me out. It was no big deal, really; he just walked into my room one day after school and asked me to have coffee with him.” 

“Coffee,” Bruce repeated.

“Coffee,” Barry grinned. “I’m sure it’s not that hard, you just have to bite the bullet and go for it. The worst he can say is no.” 

That is absolutely not true, Bruce thinks. The worst that could happen is that this makes things between them so awkward that Bruce ends up having to quit the PTA in order to avoid conflict. Then he’d have no way of keeping an eye on his kids.

This is a bad idea. 

“And,” Barry adds, “if it’s any consolation, I’m sure he feels the same way.”

“You really think so?” Bruce mumbles. 

“I’m sure of it,” Barry smiles, warmly. “It’s kind of obvious, if you ask me.”

“Well then,” Bruce decides, “I suppose I’m having coffee with Clark tomorrow.”

“Perfect!” Barry claps again, standing up. “I’ve got to go, my lunch break is almost over. But, uhh, tell me how it goes, okay?”

“You’ll be the first to know,” Bruce assures, regretting his words.

“Great! I guess I’ll see you then. Oh-and, Bruce?”

“Yeah?”

“Good luck.” 

And with that, he was gone, leaving Bruce with a lot to contemplate. 

Where would they even get coffee at? He didn’t want to take Clark to some bland coffee place for their first date. And what would he wear? Had he ever seen Clark in anything less business-casual than school attire? 

He supposed he’d find out tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce finally asks Clark out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya’ll wanted a part 2, so here it is
> 
> Enjoy💕

Bruce had been waiting nervously all day for school to end so that he could get a moment alone with Clark. He thought over everything Barry said multiple times, trying to get his words down perfectly. 

He had contemplated asking Hal for some advice, but he wouldn’t want to risk the word getting around and ending up getting back to Clark. All he could really do is pray that Barry hadn’t already told him. 

No matter how sure he was that he had everything down, there was still a little voice in the back of his mind that kept saying this wouldn’t end well. That Clark would find his advances to be sudden and uncomfortable and they would never quite be able to look at each other the same. He felt this intense feeling of doubt anytime he thought about it.

Maybe he was rushing into this. Maybe he should take some time to think things through more, then ask Clark out when he was 100% sure things would go well. 

Yes, surely that would be the smartest-

“Bruce Wayne?” Calls a voice from the intercom just minutes before the final bell is about to ring, pulling Bruce out of his thoughts. “You’re needed in the principal’s office.” 

An overwhelming sense of dread pools in Bruce’s stomach at the words and he feels the sudden urge to book it to his car before anyone can notice and pretend he left early and didn’t hear it. 

But, he thinks, whatever it is might be important.

He curses as he makes his way to the front of the school, wondering what this could be about. 

Oh dear, what if Clark had somehow found out what Bruce was going to ask him? What if he had called him down to confront him about it and politely reject him?

Bruce tried not to think about it.

When he finally reaches his destination, he’s not sure rather or not he should be surprised to find his eldest child sitting at one of the chair’s in front of Clark’s desk, wearing a track jersey that does nothing to calm Bruce’s nerves. 

“Dick,” he greets, voice stern. “Mr. Kent, what is the meaning of this?”

Bruce tries to keep his cool as Clark’s blue eyes meet his, framed with his signature glasses. His dark hair is a bit disheveled from a long day of work, and the sleeves of his sweater are rolled up to his elbows. He doesn’t look happy. 

“Mr. Wayne, would you please sit down?” He asks, sounding more tired than angry. 

Bruce obeys, side-eyeing Dick who gives an apologetic smile. 

“What is the meaning of this?” He asks.

Clark turns to Dick, face still unreadable. “Care to tell him what you did?”

Dick let’s out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck. “It was all Wally’s idea, really…”

“This outta be good,” Bruce groans, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Well,” Dick continues, clearing his throat, “we were bored in history and thought it might be fun to glue our hands together. Only Wally ended up having an allergic reaction and…”

“Mr. West is in the nurse’s office as we speak,” Clark explained. 

Bruce stares at Dick in disbelief. He knew teenaged boys were dumb, but he’d thought Dick had grown out of that stage. Apparently not. 

“How old are you again?” He asks, rhetorically.

“Mr. Wayne,” Clark says, cutting Dick’s response short. “As small an incident as this might seem, Wally’s legal guardians could press charges-“

“I believe Mr. Allen is Wally’s legal guardian,” Bruce counters. “I highly doubt he’ll want to press charges.” 

Barry was a close friend of the West’s, and had been considered family for years now. Iris and him had met in college and, while they had tried going out on a few dates, the two had decided they were better off as friends. 

But when Iris found out that her nephew, Wally, had a bad home life, Barry had immediately stepped in and offered to help raise the child. The three had become an odd sort of family and, considering Bruce and Barry were friends and Dick and Wally had practically grown up together, they were quite close with the Wayne’s. 

“Well, I know that,” Clark said, making it seem like the most obvious thing in the world. “But we take our students’ health very seriously here, and I believe your boys are a bit old to be getting into these kinds of shenanigans.”

Bruce wanted to laugh at how forced Clark’s words sounded. He obviously saw that this whole situation was ridiculous, but he wasn’t about to let Bruce be right about something that easily. 

“I will let them go with a warning this time,” Clark decided. “But another incident like this will result in an immediate suspension. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Sir,” Dick said, suppressing a grin. 

“Good then,” Clark nods. “You may leave now.” 

Dick stands, leaning down to whisper “you’re welcome,” to Bruce just before running out the door.

Bruce blinks. Did his son just give his boy…thing an allergic reaction to give him an opportunity to ask his principal out? How did Dick even-

Dang it, Barry. 

“What was that all about?” Clark asks, clearly having heard Dick’s snide remark. 

“It’s nothing,” Bruce stammers. “I-umm…I was meaning to ask you something.” 

Here goes nothing.

Clark raises an eyebrow. “I’m listening.” 

“It’s not that hard,” Barry had said. “You just have to bite the bullet and go for it.” 

Easy for him to say, he wasn’t the one who had to do the asking part. 

Bruce feels like he’s swallowing rocks as he searches for the right words to say, heart suddenly beating a bit faster. 

What’s the worst that could-actually, he doesn’t want to think about that. If he think about that he’ll end up making up some excuse for why he had to leave and rushing out of the room so that he could forget this ever happened? 

What would Barry d-

What would Hal-

Forget that, don’t over think it. Like Barry said, just bite he bullet and-

“I was wondering,” he began, not making eye contact. “If you would like to go out for coffee tomorrow?” 

Clark blinks, taken aback. “If I would like to go out for coffee with you…?” He repeats. 

“Yes,” Bruce says through gritted teeth. 

“Why, Bruce Wayne,” smirks the principal. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

Of course he had to be smug about it. It’s not like he could do the nice thing and just give Bruce a straightforward answer for once. No, that’d be too inconvenient. 

“Maybe,” mumbles Bruce.

Clark throws his head back, laughing in a way that makes Bruce’s heart skip. “I can’t believe this-Bruce Thomas Wayne is asking me out on a date! I’m flattered.” 

Bruce stands, clearing his throat. “I’ll take that as a no then-“

“Wait-“ Clark manges to say through laughter. “No, that’s not what I meant. I-Bruce, I’d love to have coffee with you.” 

The dark-eyed man pauses by the door, trying to mask his disbelief. “You would?”

“Of course,” Clark smiles, warmly, adjusting his position to be a bit more formal. It feels oddly familiar in a way that makes Bruce smile a little. “I can’t quite pretend we haven’t been dancing around this issue for quite awhile now, and I think it’s high time time you and I get to know each other better.” 

Bruce smirks slightly, feeling victorious. “So, coffee it is then?”

“Coffee works for me.”

“Good,” Bruce tries not to let his excitement show too much. “What time?”

“How about we go to Jitters after school tomorrow?” 

“Sounds like a plan.” 

The two of them stay there a moment more, not sure what to say. 

It all feels a little sudden for Bruce to comprehend. He distantly wonders what he’ll tell Barry tomorrow when he asks, or what his kids will think. 

“I guess I’ll see you then,” Bruce says before leaving. 

“See you then,” Clark grins. 

Bruce still isn’t sure what to think. Did he make the right decision asking Clark out? If things didn’t go well, would whatever was going on between them now be ruined? 

Whatever happens, he’ll have to remind himself to thank Barry tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways, Principal!Clark x PTA Dad!Bruce is my new aesthetic  
> Hope ya’ll enjoyed!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce and Clark finally go on a date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everybody💕 thank you to all your support, convincing me to write a third part. I’m actually considering making this into a series now, since it got a lot more hype than I anticipated.  
> Anyways, enjoy!

“Woah, you and Clark are gonna bang?”

It was Hal who said it this time, causing Bruce to promptly cringe, clenching his fist. 

They were in the Teacher’s Lounge after school, Bruce waiting for Clark and Hal and Barry…well, Bruce wasn’t sure why they hadn’t left yet. Barry made up some excuse about wanting to keep him company to help “cool his nerves” but Bruce suspected they just wanted to tease him. 

“We are not going to ‘bang’,” Bruce refuted, warning a snicker from Barry. “It’s just a coffee date.” 

“Yeah,” Hal snorted, “‘just a date.’ I’ve been there before.” 

Barry shot him a glare, turning back to Bruce. “Ignore him, he’s just trying to mess with you. We’re happy for you guys.” 

“Rude,” Hal mumbled. 

Bruce hated to admit it, but he was nervous. This stuff usually came naturally to him, but things were different with Clark. This didn’t feel like just another date-for some reason, he really didn’t want to mess this one up. 

And Hal and Barry weren’t doing much to cool his nerves. 

“Try not to worry too much about it,” Barry reassured. “You two are perfect for each other anyways. I’m sure once you get past the initial awkwardness, things won’t be so bad. And even if it doesn’t work out, you can still be friends.” 

“You’re not helping,” Bruce snapped. 

He felt bad for being so short with them, but he just wasn’t in the mood today. 

“Sorry,” Barry blushed. “It’s just-you guys were both so supportive when Hal and I started dating, I wanted to return the favor.” 

Hal squinted. “No they weren’t, literally everyone said you were way out of my league and that I shouldn’t even bother.” 

Barry frowned. “But, when we actually started dating, they were all really supportive.” 

“People still say you’re out of my league and that-“

“That’s besides the point,” Barry interrupted, looking back at Bruce. “Regardless, we wanna be good friends.” 

Bruce looked at Barry, then at Hal.

If things worked out between the two of them, and if Dick and Wally got married someday, he could end up being related to Hal. 

One problem at a time. 

“I appreciate the concern,” says Bruce, slowly, “but don’t you two have something better to be doing? Like, oh I don’t know, maybe your jobs?” 

Hal laughed, throwing his head back. “Says the guy skipping out on all his PTA duties to bang the principal.” 

“Sweetie,” Barry said in a warning tone. 

“Sorry, Sunshine,” Hal winked. “You guys just make it too easy sometimes.” 

Bruce said nothing, fearing that if he spoke he’d end up calling Hal every bad name in the book. 

He knew they-well, he knew Barry meant well. But he couldn’t help but feel that his stomach was in knots every time he thought about it.

Him and Clark, sitting across from each other in a nearby cafe, getting to know each other. The mental image made him feel an intense mix of excited and scared. 

“Aww, c’mon,” he heard Hal say from across the table, slinging an arm around Barry’s chair. “Don’t be mad at me.” 

“I’m not mad at you,” Barry said, simply. 

“Do you want me to apologize for the banging joke?” 

Barry glared at him again. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Oh no,” Hal gasped, teasingly. “Barry Allen is mad at me. How am I ever going to recover from this?” 

Barry rolled his eyes, fighting back a smile. “I already told you, I’m not mad.” 

“No,” Hal shook his head, “it’s too late. I have offended the Prince, my execution shall be held in the morning. Tell my wife I love her.” 

“You don’t have a wife.” 

“If I had one though, I’d be telling her I love her.” 

“Do I want to know what this conversation is about?” Asked Clark, standing in the doorway. 

Bruce nearly jumped into his seat, pulse quickening at the voice. 

There he was, blue eyes, wavy hair and button up shirt. He had a coat sling over his shoulder, trying to appear more casual. The two of them had been avoiding each other all day out of nerves and, while Bruce hated to admit it, Clark actually cleaned up pretty nice.

“Mr. Kent,” Hal saluted, turning around in his chair. “A pleasure, as always.” 

Clark roller his eyes, ignoring Hal. “Are you ready to go?” 

Bruce stilled, realized he was talking to him. Was he ready to go? Would he ever be ready to go? 

He was worrying too much about this. 

“Umm, yes,” he responds, standing awkwardly. “Thanks for saving me from…whatever this is,” he gestured to Hal and Barry.

The blond laughs lightly. “You two have fun.” 

“But not too much fun,” Hal adds. 

“I think that’s enough from you,” Bruce scowls, meeting Clark in the doorway. 

“Mr. Jordan, Mr. Allen,” Clark addresses, kindly. “Have a good weekend.” 

“You too,” Barry smiles. 

“Be sure to have him home by 8:00!” Hal calls as they’re leaving the room. 

Clark laughs, slipping his coat on. 

This is it, Bruce realizes. The moment he’s been stressing so much about. After all this trouble, they’re finally going on a date. 

“We’ll have to take your car, if that’s okay,” Clark says, making smalltalk. “I let Conner borrow mine for the day.” 

Bruce blinks, recalling Clark’s rambunctious son that had a habit of acting more punk than he actually was. “You let Conner borrow your car?” 

“I think him and your son were gonna go see a movie after school.” 

Bruce stiffened at that. “Which son?”

“Tim.” 

Tim? He thought Tim hated Conner? It’s all he ever talks about. 

Bruce had a bad feeling about this, but he decided not to think about it. He had enough on his plate at the time. 

“Where are you parked?” Clark asks when they leave the school. 

Bruce gestures for his car on the left side of the lot, leading Clark over there. 

They drive mostly in silence, occasionally making smalltalk about the weather, what types of coffee they usually get, how each other’s kids are doing; just little, insignificant details that loosen the tension. 

Slowly, Bruce begins to feel himself relax. The weight of the world is lifted off his shoulders as Clark rambles on about this one parent who had insisted the other day that her child belonged in the gifted program, and that she would get the county involved if something wasn’t done about it soon. He asked a few questions here and there to keep him talking, suddenly interested in anything and everything this man had to say. 

They reach the coffee shop in a matter of minutes, parking near the door. 

Clark holds the door open for him, smiling awkwardly. “After you.” 

They order up front, Bruce ordering one black coffee and Clark getting a vanilla latte, then they take a seat at a small table for two in a corner by the window. 

“So,” Clark begins. “Who’d’ve ever thought us two would end up on a date?” 

“Apparently Barry,” Bruce mutters. 

“Hmm?” 

“He was actually the one who encouraged me to ask you out,” Bruce explains, wondering if he should be saying all this. Perhaps Clark would have preferred it if Bruce had thought to ask him out on his own accord. 

Clark doesn’t seem bothered by it-in fact, he laughs. “How did I know that?” 

Bruce knits his eyebrows together, confused. “What do you mean by that?” 

“Barry’s been pushing me to ask you out for about a month now.” 

Of course. The only thing Bruce should find surprising about this sudden revelation is that Hal wasn’t involved in any of this. That is, until today. 

“Well,” Bruce hums. “He is quite the wingman.” 

“I’ll say,” Clark agrees. 

Talking seems to come naturally to them now that they’ve gotten all the hard stuff out of the way. The drinks come, and they end up ordering a few more, staying for a couple of hours. 

Bruce learns that Clark’s family owns a farm, and that Kara is actually his cousin and not his daughter. He learns that his ex-wife and him split up when their work lives got in the way of things, and that they’re still on good terms. He’s never gotten the appeal of Marvel movies(something that launched the two of them into a playful but immediate argument), he wore glasses for the appearance rather than prescription, his favorite color was blue and he had a dog. 

Clark learns that Bruce hadn’t planned on adopting any kids until he saw Dick that day at the circus when his parents died, and that from that point on he couldn’t stand by and watch a child go through the same thing he went through without doing something about it. He learns that he’s fluent in many languages and that his youngest son, Damian, has a habit of adopting every animal he comes in contact with. 

Clark suggests that Damian would like the farm and Bruce agrees that they should visit sometime. 

They talk about their kids for a bit, Bruce tries to learn what’s going on with Conner and Tim but Clark insists that he’s just as confused as Bruce is. 

They try not to stay on the topic of work and kids for too long, since that’s what they usually talk about, but Bruce finds that no topic gets too old when he’s talking to Clark. The man has a way of making even the most trivial of subjects seem interesting. 

It’s night by the time the two of them decide to head home.

The drive back is more talkative than the first one, full of laughter and talking about how they should do this again sometime. They’d spent the evening together, but Bruce feels like he’s known Clark for ages now. Like he could spend years getting to know him and still find new things. 

Clark’s car is parked in his driveway when they get back to his house, meaning Conner must be back now. Bruce distantly hopes he dropped Tim off at the manor before heading back here. 

“Well,” Clark says, gathering his things. “I, for one, had a great time.” 

“Me too,” Bruce agrees, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. “We should do it again sometime.”

“Yeah!” Clark nods, barely hiding his eagerness. “I would, uh, I’d like that.” 

The two smile at each other, feeling optimistic about the future. 

“I guess I’ll see you later then,” Bruce says. 

“See ya later.” 

And that was it, the conclusion to a perfect night. Bruce wonders what he was so worried about but-then again, the nerves still haven’t fully gone away. He supposed that was just a part of the whole dating thing he’d have to get used to. 

Bruce drives back to his house feeling confident, looking forward to being able to relax a bit after this whole affair…

Only to find all of his children and Alfred waiting expectantly for him in the living room. Great. 

“So,” Dick grins, leaned against the chair Stephanie is lounging in. “How was it?” 

Steph isn’t technically one of his kids-he never formally adopted her like he did Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, Cass and Duke, plus he’s pretty sure she’s dating Cass-but she does kind of live here. He’s always considered her one of his children but, then again, he tends to lose count. Alfred once joked that a random child could sit down at the dinner table and nobody would notice. He was probably right. 

“It was good,” Bruce scowled, not wanting to deal with more gossip. “Where have you guys been?” 

His eyes dart over to Tim, sitting on the couch by Jason, looking like he’s trying not to be noticed. He almost jumps when he makes eye contact with Bruce, quickly averting his eyes. 

Bruce makes a mental note to talk to him later. 

“Doing homework with Steph, Cass and Jason,” says Duke, replying to Bruce’s question. 

“I was with a friend,” mumbles Tim. 

“I’ve been here all day, unfortunately,” Damian sneered.

“I was with Wally,” Dick grinned. “But it sounds like you’ve had a much more exciting day than any of us.” 

“I doubt that,” Bruce frowns. “We just went out for coffee, nothing really interesting happened.” Which was technically true, he hadn’t come back with any major stories to tell. But he felt like so much had happened, he didn’t quite trust himself to retell it all accurately. 

“Aww, c’mon,” Stephanie giggled. “Was it really that boring?” 

Bruce twitched. “It was boring, I just don’t think any of you would be interested in hearing about it.” 

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Dick pressed. 

Bruce looks around the room at the intrigued faces, realizing that this was what everyone was going to look like at school on Monday. He sighs. 

“How about I tell you everything at breakfast tomorrow? Then I can hear all about your days as well.” 

Tim gulped at that, looking like a deer in headlights. Bruce would definitely have to talk to him later. 

“Fine,” Dick agreed. “But I want to hear everything.” 

“Well,” Jason argued, smirking at Tim. “Maybe not everything.” 

“Nothing happened!” Tim nearly shouted, face red. 

The whole room turned to him, eyebrows raised. 

“Uh…” he freezes. “With Dad and Mr. Kent. Dad said nothing happened and we should trust him on that because we weren’t there and don’t need to be accusing him of stuff. That’s all.” 

Everyone slowly turns away, unsurely. 

“Okay…” Bruce clears his throat, eyeing Tim suspiciously. “I think I’m gonna go ahead and get some sleep, this week has been quite stressful.” 

He gets a series of goodnights and a few complaints, nearly sprinting up the stairs to get away from them. 

“You better be ready to tell us everything tomorrow!” Dick calls. 

“You have my word,” Bruce promises, reluctantly. 

He hears a few murmurs of gossip downstairs, trying to drown the noise out in the shower. 

He’s still a little bewildered by this whole situation. How did Barry Allen of all people land him a date with Clark Kent?

Well, technically it had been him who had asked Clark out, but Barry did encourage him. And Dick and Wally had pulled that little glue stunt to set them up. 

Regardless, Bruce is glad their antics worked. He doesn’t care how many people were involved in it, it had all paid off tonight. 

Now he just had to face Monday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I wasn’t planning on including TimKon but I’m a sucker for any of the TimKonBart ships tbh(mainly all three of them but I thought just TimKon fit better with this fic…for now)  
> If anyone would like to see this fic become a series, comment ideas down below! I have some ideas but I’d love to hear what you guys think


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for the worse the day after the date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovely readers💕 I hope everyone is doing well. Sorry this chapter took so long, I wanted to get a few other fics out before I updated this one-but chapter 5 should be posted soon!! I find it funny that I ended up getting so invested in this fic ‘cuz, like…  
> A). I didn’t even plan on writing it at first, it was kind of last minute  
> and  
> B). SuperBat isn’t even in my top 3 favorite Bruce ships…like,,it’s easily my second favorite Clark ship but still. I obviously still love it tho  
> Anyways, enjoy!!! This chapter is dedicated to my sister who let me have the phone charger long enough to write it(love ya sis!)

The following day felt sort of tedious compared to everything that had happened before it, especially since Bruce spent the morning having every last detail of the previous night dragged out of him by his children at breakfast. 

Reluctantly, he told them everything, trying not to sound too sappy about it. Dick, Duke and Steph thought it was absolutely adorable and Jason wasted no time making fun of him for it; whereas everyone else tried to act nonchalant about the whole affair. 

He pulled Tim aside afterwards to ask about the Conner situation, but the boy quickly made up some excuse about having to get to school on time. Jason briefly explained that there had apparently been some “tension” between Tim and Conner for awhile now and that last night Tim had finally agreed to go on a date with the principal’s son. Bruce made a mental note to try to keep a better eye on his kids after that. 

The drive to school had been fairly silent, since Tim, Steph, and Duke had all chosen to ride with Jason and Dick had left early to pick up Wally so the two of them could “study” before school(an excuse that had earned a scoff from Jason). That left Damian and Cass riding with Bruce, neither of which were big conversationalists. 

Bruce pulled into the JLA parking lot just in time for Cass and Damian to make it to class on time and shuffled towards the PTA Lounge(which was less of a lounge and more of a small workshop/meeting space), eyes glancing around as he walked for any sign of Clark. He knew they were bound to run into each other at some point during the day, yet he still couldn’t help but feel anxious about it. 

Bruce Wayne doesn’t get anxious, he reminds himself. He just needs to breathe, focus on…focus on…what exactly does he need to be focusing on again?

Of course-the Winter Formal is next week!In all this excitement he’d almost forgotten… 

“‘Morning,” Bruce froze at the sound of that voice-Slade Wilson, another member of the PTA. He was also tied to the school board in some way that nobody was exactly clear on, and his children Rose and Jericho had been going here for years. Dick and Jericho had brief fling one summer and Jason and Rose had always kind been more than friends-both of which Slade had adamantly disapproved of. He was almost as involved in school business as Bruce was, but most people got a sketchy vibe from him. Dick was almost completely convinced he was a supervillain. 

“Mr. Wilson,” Bruce greeted. “How are you this morning?” 

Slade sat his bag down, moving towards the coffee machine. “I’m doing fine. And how are you, Mr. Wayne? I hear you had quite an eventful evening with the principal yesterday.” 

Bruce frowned. How many people had Barry told? 

“We went out for coffee,” Bruce explained. 

“I see.” 

The two of them quickly changed the subject to the Winter Formal, discussing who was chaperoning and what the rules for the dress code were. Slade briefly asked if Bruce knew if Jason and Rose were planning on going together, Bruce responded saying that he couldn’t keep up with who was dating who anymore. He just tries to pay attention to which students he sees his kids hanging out with the most and makes assumptions based on that. 

Well, that, or he hears it from Hal and Barry. 

The rest of the morning was fairly standard-Slade left to go check up on a few classrooms; Bruce moved to the gym to talk about setting stuff up for the Winter Formal, briefly catching Dick in the middle of warm-ups; he ran into Hal in the hallway, who had demanded to talk about everything during lunch; Slade came back just before lunchtime to make Bruce look at some files; and Bruce headed to the Teacher’s Lounge during lunch to talk with Hal and Barry. 

“So did you bang?” Hal teased, eyebrows shooting up and down. 

“Would you sto-there was no banging involved!” Bruce practically shouted. 

Barry laughed, earning a glare from Bruce. “How did it go?” He prompted. 

“It was nice,” admitted Bruce. “He’s much more tolerable outside of the workplace.” 

“Aww,” gushed the blond. “I’m glad you guys finally worked things out. Do you think you’ll do it again sometime?” 

“I think so, we haven’t set a date yet or anything though.” 

“Always leave ‘em wanting more,” Hal winked. 

Barry discreetly kicked him under the table, turning back to Bruce. “I hope you appreciate my nephew’s part in helping you get that date by the way, it’s not every day Wally fakes an infection just to wingman.” 

“Well, I suppose he can be quite helpful when he’s not ogling my son during cheer practice,” Bruce remarked, bitterly. “But he does seem like a good kid.” 

Bruce had trouble getting along with anyone who looked at his kids the way most people look at Dick, but over the years it’s become pretty clear that Wally isn’t going anywhere. He could end up becoming in-laws with Barry. 

He wonders how his children would feel if Clark became a more prominent role in their lives. Bruce hasn’t really had a boyfriend or girlfriend in awhile, but he wouldn’t want it to make any of them uncomfortable. 

He supposes he’ll just have to cross that bridge when he gets there. 

“Looks like this one is another victory for the West-Allen-Jordan family!” Hal raises his hand to high-five Barry. 

Bruce rolled his eyes. “What would I ever do without you guys?” 

“I dunno,” Hal shrugged. “But it looks like you’re gonna be stuck with us for awhile so you’d better get used to it.” 

Part of him desperately hoped that wasn’t true and the other half was starting to warm up to the idea. After all, he was starting to realize he was a bit of a family man. 

“Bruce Wayne, please report to the Principal’s Office immediately,” called a voice over the intercom. “Bruce Wayne, please report to the Principal’s Office immediately.” 

Bruce sighed, hoping this wasn’t another attempt from Dick to set him and Clark up. 

“Well,” he said, “I think that’s my cue. With any luck, it’s just Tim falling asleep in class again and not Damian threatening one of the other students.” 

“You’ll have to tell us more about the date later,” Barry ordered. 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” 

The lady at the front desk gave Bruce a concerned look on his way to Clark’s office, making him furrow his brow a bit. Surely it couldn’t be anything too bad, right? 

He entered the room to see Jason seated across from Clark, arms crossed and face pulled into a scowl. His face was bruised and bandaged, blood visible in certain places. 

“What is going on here?” Bruce demanded. 

He looked at his son then at Clark, waiting for an explanation. It was only a moment before Clark gave him one, and he wished he hadn’t asked. 

“Mr. Wayne,” Clark said, voice restrained, “your son has been expelled.” 

The word hung in the air, seeming to make the room grow heavier. 

Expelled. 

Bruce’s son has just been expelled. 

He always knew Jason had a bit of a rebel streak in him, but he never expected something like this to happen. Jason was a straight A student who every teacher adored, he just happened to get in trouble often. 

When Bruce had found him, he’d been a street kid stealing tires off of cars and trading the money for a pack of cigarettes. Everybody told him taking in another stray was a bad idea, especially one who was raised on the streets. But he’d seen the good in Jason, and was certain he could set the kid straight.

Bruce blinked, looking to Jason for an explanation. “‘Expelled’?!?” 

Jason huffed, shifting in his seat. “It’s not even my fault anyways! I got into a fight and-“

“Seriously, Jason?” Bruce placed his hands on his hips. “Another fight? How many times do I have to tell you-“

“It’s not Jason’s fault,” Clark interrupted. “He broke Hank Hall’s nose when they were messing around and Hank’s parents have threatened to press charges if we don’t do something.” 

Bruce cursed. “Is there anyway we can fix this?”

Clark shook his head, defeated. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t have any other option.” 

“You’re the principal,” Bruce refuted. “Can’t you just suspend him for a few days?” 

“We’ve done that before, Mr. and Mrs. Hall don’t believe it’s working.” 

“I don’t understand how-“

“Bruce, this isn’t personal,” Clark insisted. “Believe me, I wish there was another way, but this has to be done.” 

Bruce looked back at Jason, who looked genuinely hurt right now. He could tell he realized he’d just made a big mistake, and that it might cost him. 

He wasn’t about to let his son suffer because of something like this. 

“The Winter Formal is next week,” he decided. “Give me until then to fix this.” 

Jason looked up, hopeful. 

Clark shook his head. “I’ve already tried to reason with them, they won’t-“

“Then let me reason with them,” Bruce continued. 

The other man frowned. “I don’t think you understand what’s happening here. This is no longer about reasoning or talking or anything of that sort,” he hesitated, as if contemplating rather he was about to say the right thing or not. “The decision was mine, Bruce. They came to me asking to do something about the situation and I did. I’ve tried for years to get your son to fall in line and he won’t cooperate. I cannot let this sort of behavior continue. Again, it’s nothing personal, but tough decisions had to be made. I’m sorry if this changes things between us.” 

Bruce blinked, trying to take it all in. He was suddenly regretting that coffee date.  
He knew things would get awkward, knew it was bound to end in disaster. Still, for a moment he had let himself believe…

“I’m going to fix this,” Bruce said determinedly. “Even if I have to burn this school to the ground to do so.” 

Clark was looking everywhere but Bruce’s eyes. “Like I said, it’s nothing personal-“

“Yeah? Well you’ve just made it personal.” 

“I enjoyed our coffee date,” Clark said, hopefully.

“It was fun while it lasted,” snapped Bruce. “Jason, let’s go.” 

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Jason apologized. 

“We’ll talk about it later,” all he really wanted right now was to get away from Clark. 

Clark opened his mouth like he was about to say something as Bruce was leaving, but closed it immediately. 

Bruce felt at a loss for words. He’d have to organize a PTA meeting tonight or tomorrow to talk about this, maybe meet with some of Jason’s teachers…

How could Clark do this? He’d known Jason for years, he knew he was a good kid at heart. Was he really “out of options” or was he just tired of dealing with this? 

Perhaps the two of them would just never get along. It was probably for the best that this happened, things probably wouldn’t have worked out between them anyways. 

He frowns at the thought, sending a quick text to Dick that him and Jason were leaving early but that he’d be back to pick the others up later. 

“I’m sorry,” Jason says again as he’s about to get in his car. “I wasn’t thinking, I probably messed things up between you and Clark, I-“

“Relax,” Bruce sighed. “Meet me at the house and we can talk about it. This isn’t over,” he adds. “I’m gonna find a way to fix this.” 

Jason nods, hesitantly. 

A part of Bruce softens then, realizing this may be the first time he’s seen Jason look genuinely scared. Jason, who never misses an opportunity to tease Dick for being the “golden boy” of the family. Jason, who’s spent hours helping Cass learn English. Jason, who helps Tim study for all of his exams. 

Bruce can’t let him down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, the drama is starting. Anyways, hope ya’ll enjoyed!! Remember to stay hydrated and get plenty of sleep ^u^


	5. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The PTA meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry this took longer than I expected. I was having a bit of writer’s block and it ended up being shorter than I expected but I’m glad to have this one out.  
> Anyways, enjoy💕  
> (Also, Ik we’re all DC here but if any of you MCU stans catch the Endgame reference, lemme know in the comments)

“First of all,” Bruce began, eyes dancing nervously around the room, “I’d like to thank you all for coming.” 

It was mainly teachers with the addition of a few PTA members. Bruce had meant for it to be a more formal board meeting but soon realized that the PTA couldn’t do much to override the principal’s vote if it came down to it. 

Jason and Dick were both sat in chairs set apart slightly from the table, while the rest of his kids waited in the hallway with Wally. Jason was there for obvious reasons and Dick-well, Dick was popular. Teachers liked him and Bruce figured it might help to have him there.

“Can we get started?” Asked Slade, who had been reluctant to show up in the first place. 

Mr. Wilson wasn’t a fan of any of Bruce’s children, but Dick and Jason especially, maybe he should have second guessed letting them sit in on the meeting…

“Yes,” Clark agreed. “We have a lot to discuss. Bruce, would you like to start?” 

He met the other man’s eyes with a glare, knowing that he was the reason they were in this whole mess to begin with. 

Clark’s always been difficult about this kind of stuff. He blames it on “responsibility”, but Bruce is starting to see a trend. Like when Tim was falling behind on a few homework assignments, or when Stephanie started a food fight in the cafeteria-the minute a student slips up, Clark becomes an extremist. At the end of the day, it’s more about his image than the child’s well-being. 

Fortunately, Bruce is usually there to intervene. 

“I’m sure you’re all aware of why I called you here,” Bruce started, earning a few eye shifts. “My son, Jason, has been unfairly punished for reasons Mr. Kent claims are ‘out of his control’.”

“I never said that,” Clark protested. 

Slade raised his hand. “Is this the same son that was caught making out with someone in the locker room during gym or…?” 

“That was one time!” Dick shot up. 

Bruce blinked, eyes glancing around the room. Could anyone in this school have a decent, straightforward conversation without getting off subject in a matter of seconds?? 

“My bad,” Slade apologized. “I’m just a bit confused as to how you see this as Clark’s fault when, clearly, your children have some behavioral issues.” 

Clark raised an eyebrow in agreement, looking to Bruce for a rebuttal.

“If I may,” Diana Prince, Jason’s World History teacher, intervened, “I don’t necessarily think that ‘behavioral issues’ are the problem in this situation. It seems that a lot of the staff members here are unwilling to work with the students to create a better environment.” 

Bruce and Diana had always been on pretty good terms. She seemed to be the only person in this building capable of forming an intelligent thought, including Bruce himself. She was fair and patient and, well, everyone here was at least a little bit in love with her. Unfortunately for them, Diana had been happily married to a woman named Barbara Minerva for about two years now. 

“Exactly,” Bruce smiles slightly. “Perhaps the students would be better behaved if you didn’t feel the need to make yourself the enemy.” 

Clark made a face-something torn between shock and irritation, and uncrossed his arms. “I understand that you aren’t my biggest fan at the moment, but there’s no need to be throwing around accusations-“ 

“I’m sorry,” Slade interrupted. “Why is he here?” 

The table turned to Dick, who was watching the meeting carefully. Jason, sat beside him, hasn’t said a word since they’d arrived at the school. 

“Did I do something?” Dick challenges. 

“I thought it might be useful to have him here,” Bruce explains. 

Slade scowled. “I don’t quite understand why that’s necessary.” 

“It is,” Bruce assured. “Now, moving on-“

He proceeded to present his case in what he would consider to be the most amiable manner possible. He explained that, while what Jason did was wrong, it clearly didn’t warrant expulsion. The room either nodded along with him or kept a vacant stare, waiting for him to be finished talking. Throughout the meeting, his eyes tried to avoid Clark-whom he knew was looking right at him, gaze never leaving his face. Something about having him there increased the tension in the room, almost making it harder to speak. He supposes the principal just had that affect on people. 

He also noticed the way Jason looked at him as he spoke-hopeful, but still sort of hesitant. Bruce could tell this whole situation had him a bit shaken up, which is why he refused to let Clark win this. 

Hal, Jason’s math teacher, gave him an encouraging thumbs up when he looked at him. It was almost weird seeing him without Barry, seeing as those two had a habit of traveling in a pair. Over time, Bruce has come to find the brunet a bit more tolerable than he had at first-not that he’d ever tell him that. In all honesty, he’s glad to have him here now. It helps to know there are people on Jason’s side. 

“We understand what you’re saying,” Slade says as soon as Bruce is finished talking. “But we-“

“Now, hang on,” Clark retorts, surprising everyone, “I think you made an excellent point, Mr. Wayne. Perhaps I was a bit too harsh. Give me a day or two to rethink it and I’ll get back to you soon.” 

The room is stunned, even Mr. Wilson looks taken aback. 

That’s it? That easy? After all the stressing Bruce has done today, Clark’s just gonna give in like that? There has to be more to it…

“Right,” Hal claps, standing up. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I see this as an absolute win! Now that that’s all over with, we can all go home and relax. Like we should have been able to do hours ago.” He mumbles the last part under his breath, just loud enough that Bruce knows he meant for him to hear it. 

He fights back an eye roll. 

“Mr. Kent,” Bruce speaks carefully, still a little confused. “Are you sure you-“ 

“Absolutely,” Clark stands, grabbing his things. “Now, everyone go home before I change my mind.” 

The room rises at that, and Bruce looks at Hal as a way of asking “What just happened?” 

Hal only shrugs, grabbing his jacket and pushing his chair in. 

Clark definitely has something up his sleeve. There’s no way he would give in this early without a fight. 

Bruce motions for Dick and Jason to follow him out of the room, trying to avoid Clark’s eyes that are still on him as he moves. 

“How’d it go?” Wally asks Dick when they entered the hallway. 

Bruce frowns, having forgotten the redhead was still here. 

“Surprisingly well, actually,” Dick explains. 

It’s not that Bruce doesn’t like Wally-wait, no, it is. He can’t stand that kid. 

For as long as anyone can remember, Dick and Wally have been attached at the hip. No matter who Dick’s dated in the past, it’s been blatantly clear that he’s only ever had feelings for Barry’s nephew. Which would be fine-cute, even, if Wally weren’t the most insufferable human being on the planet. 

Maybe it’s the way he looks at Dick, or the snide “Your Son” jokes he makes when him and Bruce are alone. He honestly thinks he could have put up with a serial killer better. 

But, despite how Bruce might feel about the situation, Dick’s made it clear that the ginger isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He’s probably at their house more often than Bruce is nowadays. 

The thought makes his blood boil, wondering just how often that menace is alone with his son. 

“Dad?” Tim says, pulling Bruce out of his thoughts. “Did you hear me?” 

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” 

“We need to stop by the library on the way home so I can pick up a book for my history project.” 

Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose. “Can we do it tomorrow?” 

“I can take him,” Dick offers, curled up against Wally’s side. 

The redhead meets Bruce’s eyes with a glint that makes his skin crawl, an expression that says “my arm is around your son and there’s nothing you can do about it” more clearly than words ever could.

Can Bruce not have one good day where nobody bothers him?

“Mr. Wayne,” Clark greets, startling him. Speak of the devil… “May I speak to you for a moment?” 

Bruce faltered, taken aback. “What for?”

Clark glanced at the group of kids behind Bruce, who all regarded him as if he was the enemy. 

“I just wanted to formally apologize for the way I treated Jason…” he said, carefully. “You were right, I was acting in the best interests of my own self-image rather than that if your son. I’m far from perfect, but I am trying to be better. I hope you can forgive me.” 

This shocked Bruce even more than the meeting had. Could it be that Clark was actually changing for the better? 

“Well,” Bruce swallowed, awkwardly. “I’m glad you finally came around.” 

Clark nodded, half-heartedly. Bruce could tell he had been hoping for a warmer sentiment but he wasn’t really in the mood to humor him at the moment. 

“Kids, we should head home,” Bruce suggested. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Kent.” 

Clark’s eyes lingered on Bruce as he walked away, soft and longing. A million words sat behind his lips, wishing to be spoken. Holding them back was like swallowing rocks, like sewing his mouth shut. Still, he kept quite, knowing that forgiveness takes time. 

Maybe next time, then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!!💕

**Author's Note:**

> Leave kudos and a comment if you enjoyed!!!


End file.
